Gongzi Casino, a foreigner-only casino on the South Korean holiday island of Jeju, paused operations from early November 20241. The venue is being refurbished and rebranded, and is due to have a soft launch on September 2 under the name Jeju WanLi Casino1.
The revamped property is under Jeju WanLi Group and a company called Gil Sang Chang Hui LLC, according to its website1. It sits in the Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Jeju Ocean Front, the hotel where the casino is based1. That hotel had been closed for refurbishment since early 2025 and was scheduled to reopen this year as a Sheraton-branded property1.
Vincent Loi, the chief operating officer, said the relaunch would follow "almost a year of dedicated hard work" from the venue's team1. In a social media post he added:
"We welcome anyone to come and provide valuable feedback to us"
Loi has said the marketing of the reworked venue is being repositioned toward mass-play segments and away from the pre-pandemic junket-driven model of the former Gongzi Casino1. Jeju WanLi Casino will offer gaming products aimed at "young players", a segment Loi described as increasingly important in Jeju's mass-market casino business1.
Jeju is home to eight foreigner-only casino licenses, although some venues have periodically been inactive1. According to a recent statement from Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, visitors in their 20s and 30s accounted for 51.3 percent of total Jeju casino patronage in 2025, up 3.4 percentage points from 47.9 percent in 20241.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Venue | Gongzi Casino, Jeju, South Korea |
| Operations paused | Early November 20241 |
| New name | Jeju WanLi Casino1 |
| Soft launch date | September 21 |
| Operators | Jeju WanLi Group and Gil Sang Chang Hui LLC1 |
| Hotel | Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Jeju Ocean Front, to reopen as a Sheraton-branded property1 |
What it means for players
Jeju's casinos are foreigner-only, so the pause and relaunch affect visitors and expats rather than South Korean nationals1. For anyone planning to play at this venue, the practical position is that it stopped taking customers from early November 2024 and has not been operating since1. The relaunch is set for September 2, and the operator has described it as a soft launch, which typically means a gradual start rather than a full opening1. The gaming floor is being aimed at younger, mass-market players rather than the junket-driven model the property used before the pandemic1. No details of table games, machines, opening hours or entry requirements at the relaunched venue have been reported1.
What happens next
The soft launch is due on September 21. The hotel housing the casino was scheduled to reopen this year as a Sheraton-branded property1. No further dates have been reported.
Players looking at the island more broadly can see the full list of casinos on Jeju Island, the wider picture of casinos and integrated resorts in Asia, and the rules on whether you can gamble in South Korea. Venues that have stopped trading are tracked in closed casinos in Asia.
